OPN Jan 8 send: Back at it

• The story: Both the Democratic and Republican front-runners for Ohio governor have chosen who will run alongside them as lieutenant governor candidates in the November election.

• Democratic ticket: Democrat Amy Acton chose David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party chairman, Cincinnati city councilman and Hamilton County commissioner.

• Republican ticket: Republican Vivek Ramaswamy chose Rob McColley, current term-limited president of the Ohio Senate who is from northwest Ohio.

• Endorsement: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine officially endorsed Ramaswamy for governor Wednesday, just a few weeks after telling reporters that he wanted to talk more with the candidate before throwing his support behind him.

• Here’s my story with Josh Sweigart.

Minnesota child care scam allegations causes Ohio concern, federal funding freeze

• The story: Following the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze federal child care funds to every state in response to a high-profile allegation that Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota were defrauding the state’s subsidized child care program, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has tried to dispel the notion that a similar scandal could take place in Ohio.

• Anti-fraud measures: DeWine held a press conference amid growing concerns on social media. He detailed the state’s anti-fraud measures, like the state’s practice of shifting tax dollars to its state-funded facilities based on attendance, not overall enrollment — with the state verifying a child’s attendance through a personalized identification number that should not be shared with a daycare provider.

• Context: The story comes shortly after the Trump administration surged federal officers into Minnesota following a viral allegation of massive child care fraud largely carried out by Somalis. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on social media that the officers were “conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.”

• Quote: “There has been some connection, I’ve seen on social media, from people who say ‘Well, there’s lots of Somalians in Ohio, too; there’s Somalians in Minnesota; therefore, Ohio has a huge problem,’” DeWine said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

• Prove it: The Trump administration is freezing all federal child care funds to states until the states can prove good stewardship. As of Monday, the Trump administration had not yet clearly defined what it’s looking for, nor had it provided Ohio with a time frame for when it intended to clear states for further payments, DeWine told this news outlet.

• Window: The state said they can last eight weeks without further funding. “We are going to work closely with our federal partners to ensure they have the information from us that they need to feel confident,” said Kara Wente, director of the Department of Children and Youth.

• Here’s the full story.

• Mims out: The last day of 2025 also was the last regular city commission meeting for Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., who said on the dais that he felt blessed and honored to serve in the city’s highest elected office. Here’s Cornelius Frolik on the mayor’s final days in office.

• Protest: Daytonians came out in protest last weekend against the Trump administration’s military operation that ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who now faces U.S. narcoterrorism charges alongside his wife. Here’s Cornelius Frolik.

• Probation: The Ohio auditor of state’s special investigations unit is asking court officials to review whether Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley violated his probation by drinking alcohol at a county GOP Christmas party where he was photographed holding a brown bottle. Here’s Sydney Dawes.

• Dangerous dogs: A bill to enhance criminal penalties for violent dogs was signed by Ohio’s governor, capping a swift legislative process that was spurred by a brutal dog attack on 12-year-old Avery Russell during a playdate last year. Here’s my story.

• Unimpressed: Organizers behind a grassroots effort to eliminate property taxes in Ohio say they aren’t taking their foot off the gas even after tax reforms were passed by Ohio lawmakers and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine. Here’s Denise Callahan.

• I-70 Trump-bound?: Two GOP lawmakers want to name two miles of Interstate 70 in Franklin County the “President Donald Trump Freedom Highway.” Here’s Eileen McClory.

• Turner’s year: When talk on Capitol Hill turns to GOP rebels in Congress, the name of U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, usually doesn’t come up in the conversation. But in 2025, Turner found a variety of ways to establish some daylight between himself, President Trump, and House Republican leaders. Here’s Jamie Dupree.

• ‘Operation Buckeye’: At least 214 people, predominantly Latino men, have been detained in Ohio as a part of “Operation Buckeye” Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, according to an analysis by an Ohio advocacy group. Here’s Sydney Dawes.

• ICE shooting: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the mayor described as reckless and unnecessary. Here’s the Associated Press.